Page 21 of Twisted Mates

“Xan, I don’t mean this bad, because I’m not mad at you, but it might be best if you—” Kai starts, but I shake my head.

“No. I will not be leaving this house while he is trying to force you and Alexia to do something that clearly, neither of you is ready to do,” I say, resolute in my decision.

Clayton’s dry chuckle grates on my nerves before he says, “Not ready to do. They are mates. Your brother has an obligation to this pack to fully complete his bond and take his place as king. But I don’t expect you to understand what it means to commit to something. The only way this bond is breaking is if one of them dies.”

There's a little whimpering sound from directly behind me and I realize it came from Alexia, which even further fuels my anger .

“Fuck you,” I spit.

But he keeps going. “You are a disgrace to this family. Just look at you, covered in tattoos and carrying on with those who are beneath us. You were born a prince. It is time you grew upand acted like it. This is why the goddess never blessed you with a mate. You would have never been the king we need.”

I step forward and ease Kai out of my way. When I’m almost nose to nose with Clayton, my voice drops to a threatening rumble as I say, “If we’re getting technical, you were never bonded either.Thatblessing was given to my father.”

“Get the fuck out, Xander! I don’t give a shit where you go, just get out of my sight!” Clayton shouts.

I fight down the urge to hit him, knowing it will only cause more grief for Kai and Alexia. The asshole has always had a demented way of ruling this house. Not a single day passes that I regret my decision to escape this house or his tyranny.

I turn toward the kitchen, my booted steps heavy as I make my way to the back door and swing it open. I hesitate as Clayton’s voice reaches me again.

"It’s time to be done with this and move on to what’s important. I expect the two of you to be fully bonded by tomorrow morning.”

I growl my displeasure and slam the door behind me.

My stepfather is wrong. I do understand the importance of our role to our people. That’s why I at least come back here for the few meetings that are required of me. I haven’t completely abandoned this pack. From a young age, my mother instilled those values in me. I never forgot a single lesson she taught me. But I also knew that I was never meant to take the crown. My heart was broken when my father died. It was shattered, unable to be fixed.Iwas broken. Never could I take the mantle as king when I couldn’t give myself wholeheartedly to my people.

I run my hand down my face as I step into the forest behind the house. The shadows of the trees cool my skin as I breathe in their pine scent. My fingers brush along the rough bark, and I focus on the ground under my feet. That protective, explosivenature that always stirs within me settles. I’ve come to realize that it’s my wolf.

Even in this skin, it’s there, sitting below the surface and taking in our surroundings. It’s normally a hum in my chest, but since I returned to my mother’s home it has been restless. I felt the same way as my eighteenth birthday drew closer and I knew I no longer had to remain here. Unlike then, this time I want to stay.

It’s the right thing to do. Kai needs someone on his side as he’s going through this madness. And Alexia... Fuck. She consumes my thoughts. Maybe it’s because I fear what Clayton will do to her. She’s so pure, kind, and full of optimism. I’d hate to see him rip those traits from her. The hard exterior I wear was to protect myself when I was younger. As I started to come into my own, I quickly learned that there was no pleasing my stepfather. He would always resent me for being the son of my mother’s bonded mate. I can’t sit by while Alexia is possibly subjected to that type of treatment. The feelings of worthlessness and being the outsider. It was lonely, and even in the short time that I’ve been around this woman, I can see that she thrives best in a supportive environment. She will wilt under Clayton’s strict rule.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself because none of that explains my physical reaction when she’s near. The last thing I should be doing is hanging around and feeding this asinine desire I feel toward her. Especially when she’s mated.

Alexia is navigating her way through her connection with my baby brother, and she definitely doesn’t need a push from Clayton. What he wants them to do is beyond fucked up. They just need time to get comfortable with how their dynamic has changed. Sex, especially sex that is initiated by obligation, isn’t going to make any of this easier on either her or my brother.

I’m not going to stand by and let it happen. Not tonight. Not any night.

I jog back to the house and bound up the staircase to the second floor. When I reach Kai’s room, it takes all my control not to kick the door open. I fill my chest with air and slowly let it out before I knock on the door.

“Come in?” It’s Alexia’s voice I hear, and my stomach clenches. Why, I don’t know. It’s not like anything could have happened in the last few minutes.

I ease the door open and poke my head in, relieved to see Kai isn’t around. She’s dressed for bed, in cute flannel pajama pants with cats on them and a pale pink tank top—with no bra.

Get it together, Xander. That’s not a thing you should be noticing. Not right now.

Not ever.

“Are you all right?” I ask, shifting from foot to foot before leaning one shoulder against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest.

Her eyes trail up my body and I feel their path all the way up, scorching my skin through my clothes. I’m surprised to see her lips turn up into a shy smile. “I am now.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, raising a brow.

“It’s like you’re the only person who actually understands how I feel.” She sighs. “Even Kai feels like he’s so far away from me now, which sucks because I thought we had made so much progress last night.”

I cut to the chase. However she answers this next question, I’m going with my gut. “Do you feel comfortable in here tonight? After all the things Clayton has said?”

She hesitates, and that’s all the answer I need.

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